1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vapor chamber, and in particular to a vapor chamber having a heated protrusion.
2. Description of Prior Art
A vapor chamber is a heat-conducting module that is widely used, which includes a flat casing, a working fluid filled in the flat casing, a wick structure formed on inner walls of the flat casing, and a supporting structure provided inside the flat casing. The supporting structure provides a sufficient strength to the flat casing to withstand external pressures, thereby protecting the flat casing from recessing due to the external pressures. In use, one surface of the vapor chamber contacting a heat-generating element is called as a heat-absorbing surface, and the other surface of the vapor chamber away from the heat-generating element is called as a heat-releasing surface. A portion of the working fluid in the vapor chamber adjacent to the heat-absorbing surface absorbs the heat generated by the heat-generating element to become vapor. The vapor-phase working fluid flows toward the heat-releasing surface on which it condenses to flow back to the heat-absorbing surface along the wick structure. With the vapor/liquid phase change and circulation of the working fluid in the wick structure, the heat generated by the heat-generating element can be conducted to the outside.
The inner walls of the vapor chamber are provided with the wick structure. The whole heat-absorbing surface can be used for conducting the heat. However, not the whole heat-absorbing surface is brought into thermal contact with the heat-generating element. Thus, a portion of the wick structure on the inner wall of the heat-absorbing surface not contacting the heat-generating element does not contribute to the heat conduction a lot. In other words, the remaining wick structure inevitably increases the production cost of the vapor chamber. If the wick structure could be concentrated on the heat-absorbing surface at a position corresponding to the heat-generating element, the efficiency of the wick structure will be increased and the production cost can be reduced.
On the other hand, with the advancement of science and technology, a plurality of heat-generating elements are arranged on a large printed circuit board. Since the thickness of each heat-generating element is different, the conventional vapor chamber having a flat heat-absorbing surface cannot surely contact every heat-generating element. As a result, several vapor chambers have to be disposed on the printed circuit board to correspond to the respective heat-generating element, which increases the production cost. Further, mounting these vapor chambers on the printed circuit board involves more steps.
Therefore, it is an important issue for the present Inventor to solve the above-mentioned problems.